Although Settle Cricket Club's first team are assured of a place in Northern Premier League Division One next year, their second string still have all to play for in Westmorland Two.

They hosted Kirkby Lonsdale 1st XI at the weekend, who made 170-7 after being invited to bat first.

The batting was slow going but wickets not easy to come by for Settle, as the visitors reached 113-1 at one point.

Things picked up for Settle once skipper Nick Cokell took the ball as fifth change, as he returned 4-21 from his six overs.

With the weather ever threatening and 15 points essential in their title chase, the Marshfield line-up took the game by the scruff of the neck and thrashed out the required runs in just 19 overs.

Will Smith’s unbeaten 44 finally saw Settle home, but earlier contributions from James Snowden and Paul Dockerty (27 each) laid the foundations.

However, not for the first time, Cokell was the bedrock of the innings, with a rapid 52 his fourth half-ton of the season.

He also has 32 wickets at 11.3 and will be hoping his all-round form stretches to the coming weekend.

His team are travelling to neighbouring Ingleton in the last match of the season and need full points to be sure of the title.

They sit first as it stands,  but are only two points ahead of Coniston 1st XI and 11 clear of Ambleside 1st XI, who can both still catch them.

Only the top two will be promoted to Westmorland One, which itself will go into the Palace Shield mix as part of the overarching NPL pyramid scheme, which launches in 2025.

As for the first team, they will be looking to recover from their surprise defeat to Euxton at the weekend, as they take on Fulwood at home on the final day.

It will be an emotional occasion, as it marks the last match for Settle's long-serving and much-loved professional and coach, Sri Lankan Ashen Silva.